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No. 465,461. Patented! Dec. 22, 1891.

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H. CLAUS. MACHINE FOR ENAMELING SHEET METAL, 6m. No. 465,461. Patented1190.22, 1891.

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBERT oLAUs, or THALE-IN-TI-IE-I-IARZ, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR ENAMELING SHEET METAL, &C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,461, dated December22, 18)1.

Application filed August 26, 1891. Serial No. 403,748. (No model.)

.T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUBERT CLAUS, a resident of Thale-in-the-Harz,Empire of Germany, have invented an Improved Machine for EnamelingJSheet Metal and 'other Substances, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to anew machine for spreading liquid enamel orother analogous liquid or semi-liquid matter upon plates of sheet metalor other substances and upon sundry other surfaces.

The main use to which my invention can be put is to spread enamel uponmetallic platesl for the manufacture of enameled sign-boards and toavoid hand labor and to insure a greater uniformity in the coating ofenamel, and therefore a better quality of sign.

The invention consists of a new combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully specified, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a verticallongitudinal section of my improved enameling-machine, the line l 1,Fig. 3,indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a detail verticalsection on the same line of the upper part of the machine and is on alarger scale than Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan or top view of the machine,parts being broken away. Fig. 4. is an enlarged plan ortop View, partlyin section, of one end of the upper portion of the machine. Fig. 5 is anenlarged and somewhat exaggerated bottom view of the valve portion onthe lower end of the hopper. q

The letter A in the drawings represents the main lower framing of themachine. In this frame are the bearings for two parallel shafts B and C,each carrying a pair of sprocketwheels a ce, over which sprocket-wheelsendless chains d d are placed. These chains are represented in Fig. 3bydouble dotted lines and in Fig. l by single heavy dotted lilies. Thetwo endless chains d d are connected by slats e, made of wood oranalogous substance and riveted or otherwise tied tothe chains, and overthese slats e is placed an endless band or apron f of wire-gauze oranalogous fabric. All these parts are arranged to constitute an endlesscarrier for the plates or articles to be enameled, said carrier beingput in motion Whenever rotary motion'is imparted by a belt g to a pulleyon the shaft C from a suitable driving-pulley 7L.

Suitable idle-wheels@ are hung in the framingA at proper intervals tosupport the chains dand apron f in a substantially horizontal positionduring their passage from one sprocket-wheel .to the other. A suitablebrush j is placed beneath the apron f to remove from its surface anyenamel which may adhere thereto. The lower frame A supports at or nearits center an upwardly-extending framework D, which is composed, mainly,of four posts 7c, that are braced together by horizontal 'braces Z andm, and that rest with their lower ends on bolsters n, that are formed onthe frame A. By means of screws E or analogous mechanism the entirecentral framework D may be raised more or less, for purposes hereinaftermore fully described. The above-mentioned upwardly-extending framework Dcarries at its upper portion a funnellike vessel F, within which iscontained a perforated false bottom G, below which false botf tom thevessel F contains a stirrer-wheel H and below that a longitudinal slitor outletopening o. Directly above the ycentral semicylindricaldepression of the perforated false bottom or sieve G the funnel Fcontains a rotary brush l. Beneath the central slit or outlet o are tworubber blades p p, which, as Fig. 2 more clearly indicates, can havetheir lower ends brought into close proximity with one another toconstitute a narrower, or, when desired, a wider, outletfor the liquidenamel. These blades, which are made of india-rubber or analogoussubstance, have affixed to their outer sides short plates q q, which arearranged at about equal distances apart, as indicated by dotted liliesin'Fig'fS, and as also indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Each plate q connectsby a link r with a crank s, whose hub embraces a shaft J, said hubcarrying a cou nterpoise t. The hub of each crank s and counterpoise tcan be clamped onto the shaft .I by screws w; but by unfastening saidscrews the said hub will remain loose on the shaftJ and the counterpoisetwill press its plate q inward, so as to crowd the rubber lips or valvesp :together at that place. A shaft L, which is hung in the frame D andhas a hand-wheel so, has right and left screws y, which gear into IOOworm-wheels e', that are mounted upon the shafts J J, so that by turningthe hand-wheel or; the shafts J J on opposite sides of the funnel willbe turned in opposite directions, and with them the hubs of those crankss that are clamped tight to said shafts by their screws w. Thus when allthe cranks s, together with their counterpoises, are tightly clamped bythe screws tu to the shafts J the turning of the right and left screwsof L will open or shut the valves p uniformly throughout their length",but when some ofthe cranks s are left loose on said shafts, then those`which are loose willhold their portions of the flexible valves p in asubstantially closed position, while those which are fast will be ableto draw their portions of said flexible valves farther apart. This isindicated by Fig. 5. Hence I am enabled by this arrangement to open theoutlet from the funnel F more or less throughout its length, or toopensaid outlet more or less at certain intervals of its length. Beneaththe outlet thus formed by the valves p are hung inV the framing D tworollers M M, whose shafts lie in slotted bearings, and can, by screwsCL2, (see Fig. 4t.) be set more or less apart or more or less closelytogether. The shafts of these rollers M M are geared together at oneside of the machine, as indicated at b2 in Fig. 3, so that as rotarymotion is imparted to one by belt cl2 from the drivingshaft 71, saidmotion will be transmitted in opposite direction to the other of saidrollers.

Beneath each roller M is a scraper N, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, andunderneath these Scrapers there is placed an inclined blade O, which isvertically adjustable in a supporting-bracket P and which can be tiltedmore .or less in said bracket. Rot-ary motion can be imparted to thebrush I vby a belt e2 from the shaft h and to the stirrer II by a beltf2 from the driving-shaft h. Of course, instead of connecting thedriving-shaft by belts in the various contrivances to be rotated, othermeans of communicating the desired motion may be employed.

Il avin g now described the general construction of my machine, I willproceed to state itsA operation: The liquid or semi-liquid enamel is putinto the funnel F and flows, owing to its gravity and liquid character,through the sieve G. If, however, any partof the enamel should be toothick to pass through -said sieve it will be retained by the same andgradually iow underneath the rotary brush I, which will reduce the thickmatter and force it through the sieve. The liquid matter passingunderneath the sieve Gr is therefore of uniform consistency and willgather in the rounded lower part of the funnel, where it is exposed tothe rotary agitator H, which prevents the solid particles of the enamelfrom becoming separated or settling in the liquid parts and frombecoming too consistent or lumpy. The enamel gathering in the lower partof the funnel is now free to escape through the opening'o and betweenthe valvelike blades p, which latter are adjusted a desired distanceapart, either throughout their entire length or at intervals, so'as toallow a given quantity of enamel to flow between them during a givenperiod of time. If the enamel is not to escape through the entire lengthof the slots formed between the valves p, these valves can be keptclosed altogether at or near the ends, the middle remaining open, or ator near the middle the ends remaining open or alternately in sections,as indicated in Fig. 5; and right -here I desire to have it understoodthat, instead of using two flexible valves p p, with means for movingthem in wholeor in part away from each other, one of said plates may beflexible and movable, while the other may be perfectly stationary andimmovable, in which case the stationary one would be made of sheet metalor similar substance. As the enamel leaves the valves p in a stream ofthe desired width, it flows between the rollers IWI M, which rollers areadjusted as far apart as desired to insure the discharge of the desiredquantity of enamel during a given period of time. The enamel passingbetween these rollers is removed from their surfaces by the Scrapers N,and' flows from these scrapers upon the inclined smooth plate O, whenceit flows in a continuous current upon the plates or articles carried bythe apron f, said articles meanwhile moving with the apron from onesprocket-wheel to the other.

In order to regulate the distance which the liquid enamel shall fallfrom the plate O to the article to be enameled, the entire framing D,with its appurtenances, is made vertically adjustable by means of thescrews E or similar mechanism. By this adjustment I am enabled to give agreater fall to thick enamel and a less great fall to liquid enamel. Anyenamel which may have entered between plates or articles tobe coated canbe received .in a vessel placed under thev apron f and any adhering tothe apron will be taken olf by the brushj. The operation of the machinemay be continuous, but can be interrupted Whenever desired by a suitablebelt-shipping apparatus applied to the belt g or to the belt for drivingthe shaft h.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isel. The funnelF,having lower outlet-opening o, combined with the false perforatedbottom G, placed above said outlet and having central semi-cylindricaldepression, the rotary IOO IIO

brush I, placed above said perforated false bottom, and the rotaryagitator I-I, placed beneath said perforated false bottom and above saidoutlet-opening vv, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The funnel F, having outlet opening o, combined With the lowerconverging and flexible valve-plates p, and means, substantially asdescribed, for holding said valveplates wholly or in part together orapart, as

specified.

as long as the outlet-opening, and with the short plates q, aflixed tothe outer sides of said flexible blades, links fr, cranks s,counterpoises t, screws w, shafts .l J on opposite sides of the funnel,worm-wheels .e on said shafts, right-.and left screws y, and shaft L,all arranged for operation substantially as herein shown and described.

5. The combination of the funnel F and its outlet-opening o, and means,substantiallyas described, for regulating the size-of said opening, withrollers M M below said funnel, Scrapers N, and inclined plate O belowsaid roller, substantially as and for the purposes herein shown anddescribed.

6. The combination, in a machine for covering metal plates and otherarticles with enamel, of the endless apron f, and'mcans, substantiallyas described, for supporting and moving the same, with a funnel F,placed above said apron, and means, substantially as described, forregulating the discharge of liquid matter from said funnel, and with theinclined plate O interposed between the outlet-opening of said funneland the endless apron f, substantially as herein shown and described.

HUBERT CLAUS.

Witnesses:

TH. BREHMSALTZ, G. WESEMEIJER.'

